Green Shield Canada (GSC) is a

not-for-profit A not-for-profit or non-for-profit organization (NFPO) is a Legal Entity, legal entity that does not distribute surplus funds to its members and is formed to fulfill specific objectives. While not-for-profit organizations and Nonprofit organ ...

benefits carrier that provides drug, dental, extended health care, vision, hospital and travel benefits for groups and individuals, as well as administration services. GSC is incorporated under a Federal Act of Parliament and regulated by the

Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions The Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI; , BSIF) is an independent agency of the Government of Canada reporting to the Minister of Finance created "to contribute to public confidence in the Canadian financial system". ...

(OSFI).

History

GSC's was founded in 1957 in

Windsor, Ontario Windsor ( ) is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada. It is situated on the south bank of the Detroit River directly across from the U.S city of Detroit, Detroit, Michigan. Geographically located within but administratively independent of Esse ...

. The founder, pharmacist Bill Wilkinson, and four other pharmacists created Canada's first pre-paid drug plan, and started the company as Prescription Services Inc. GSC policies focus on prioritizing evidence-based treatments, preventive care and claims management strategies.'' ''These policies also help to prevent fraud and ensure that provincial coverage pays when possible, while prior authorization may be required for certain treatments. The policies can save money for plan sponsors, but sometimes lead to more paperwork for plan members. GSC has been in the news for working with clients that have dealt with high-profile benefits fraud cases using other insurers.

Headquarters

GSC's head office is located on Anchor Drive in

. GSC has regional offices in

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

Calgary Calgary () is a major city in the Canadian province of Alberta. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806 making it the third-largest city and fifth-largest metropolitan area in C ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

and

Quebec City Quebec City is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Census Metropolitan Area (including surrounding communities) had a populati ...

Community initiatives

As a not-for-profit, GSC either reinvests profits into the business, or into community health care initiatives across Canada. They have supported a variety of causes linked to wellness, including homelessness, food insecurity, dentistry, sex trafficking, emergency service access, education, mobile outreach vehicles, disaster relief, research and healthcare clinics Green Shield has also participated in clinical trials designed to encourage physical activity and smoking cessation programs.

References

{{reflist Financial services companies established in 1957 Health insurance companies of Canada Companies based in Windsor, Ontario Non-profit corporations Canadian companies established in 1957 1957 establishments in Ontario